UTSA leading scorer Cheyenne Rowe produced 10 points and was held to three of 13 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane held the UTSA women to 29 percent shooting from the field, while also forcing 22 turnovers, as they romped to a 53-41 victory Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Golden Hurricane (19-10, 11-6) clinched the No. 4 seed and a double bye into the quarterfinals of the American Conference tournament.
Meanwhile, UTSA (13-15, 8-9) is currently holding onto the No. 6 seed, which would yield a single bye through to the tournament’s second round.
UTSA coach Karen Aston’s team struggled offensively in the home finale, making only 13 field goals. The Roadrunners shot zero for 10 from the floor in a one-point second quarter. – Photo by Joe Alexander
The Roadrunners have one game left in the regular season. They play Saturday against the Rice Owls in Houston, and the Owls (27-3, 17-0) have already clinched the regular-season title.
The tournament will be held from March 10-14 in Birmingham, Ala.
For the Roadrunners, the final score against Tulsa was not what they wanted, especially in the last home game of the season.
“I wanted to say thanks to all the people that came out today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I thought it was a tremendous crowd. A lot of groups came out. A lot of student-athletes were here, supporting our team.
“You know, I’m disappointed that we didn’t play better for probably some first-time people that came to see us play,” she added. “I always feel like if someone comes to the gym to watch you play, then you try to give ’em a reason to come back.”
For Tulsa, the victory was meaningful on a number of fronts. First, the Hurricane gained a measure of payback against the Roadrunners, who beat them 66-47 on Feb. 7 in Tulsa.
Second, they also bounced back from a dispiriting loss Sunday in Houston in which the Owls recorded a 105-65 victory.
But, perhaps most importantly, the double by in the tournament is valuable from the standpoint of rest and extra time to prepare.
Also, it means the Golden Hurricane will have a shorter route to the postseason title.
After her team lost by 40 points at Rice on Sunday, Tulsa coach Angie Nelp said she was proud of her players for bouncing back against UTSA. – Photo by Joe Alexander
By opening in the quarterfinals, they can win the American and secure the NCAA tournament’s automatic bid with three wins in three days.
“Anytime you get a bye in a tournament, that always helps,” Tulsa coach Angie Nelp said. “We’ve got another game to play this Saturday (at home against East Carolina).
“It’s not going to be an easy game. So we’ve got to prepare well and compete. Having that double bye may give us an extra day’s rest (the following week).”
Against the Roadrunners, redshirt senior Hannah Reddick led the Golden Hurricane with 17 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Jade Clack had 11 points and forward Mady Cartwright 10.
San Antonio’s Alisha Peavy, a freshman guard, sparked the Golden Hurricane with four points and a team-leading eight rebounds.
For the Roadrunners, it was a struggle all night to get their power forwards into an offensive rhythm, as Cheyenne Rowe and Idara Udo combined to shoot only four of 21 from the floor.
Guard Ereauna Hardaway led the team with 11 points and five rebounds. Rowe had 10 points and nine boards. Udo, meanwhile, was held to six points and nine rebounds.
Records
Tulsa 19-10, 11-6
UTSA 13-15, 8-9
Coming up
UTSA at Rice, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Notable
San Antonio’s Alisha Peavy, a Tulsa freshman from Pieper High School, produced four points and a team-high eight rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander
Even if UTSA loses Saturday against Rice, its chances of holding onto the No. 6 seed and the first-round bye appear to be good.
Trailing UTSA in the standings are Florida Atlantic, Temple and Charlotte.
All have 7-10 records, raising the possibility of a tie for sixth place after the 18-game schedule is completed.
In that case, the Roadrunners would have an edge in that they are 1-0 against both Florida Atlantic and Charlotte and 2-0 against Temple.
First half
The Golden Hurricane held the Roadrunners to a single free throw and one point in the second quarter en route to taking a 19-13 lead at intermission.
UTSA’s offense went completely cold. Not only did the Roadrunners shoot zero for 10 from the field, they also turned it over seven times.
In the meantime, Tulsa forward Dora Toman hit two of her team’s three 3-point shots as the visitors stunned the home team, 11-1, in the period.
The Roadrunners stayed in the game with a strong defensive effort of their own. They held the Golden Hurricane to seven of 16 shooting for 26.9 percent in the half.
UTSA built a 12-8 lead after the first quarter. Ereauna Hardaway sank a three with 1.8 seconds remaining for the final points. The shot was also UTSA’s last field goal of the half.
In the half, the Roadrunners went five for 21 from the floor for 23 percent. They also committed 13 turnovers.
